Can't see 129; temporarily prefer SD channels on Hopper?

[jk870]

Recently convinced my parents to switch from DTV to Dish. 2 Hopper/3 Joey Installation happened last weekend, but the tech was brand new, and the dish was located poorly and is apparently not getting a clear view to the 129 satellite. Possibly the others as well, we're experiencing so many issues it is hard to tell. It is truly ridiculous, but bottom line is that they are now stuck for 24 months so all I can do is try to get it fixed for them.

The tech can't come for several more days, but in the meantime there is no TV and there's about to be a revolt because OTA options are severely limited and there will be missed football games. To complicate matters, I'm 250 miles away now and the parents have limited tech savvy so it is a real ordeal trying to walk them through troubleshooting remotely.

I know there was a way in the menu system to show SD channels, if not prefer them. I got them that far last night, and for a few moments, the SD locals at least showed up in the guide. However, the 'obtaining guide data' graphic was stuck at 95% and would not go away on the screen, so I had them pull the AC and plug it back in. When it came back up, the settings were still set to show SD+HD, but the SD channels had disappeared from the guide even when set to show all channels. Why would this be??!

I'm assuming the SD channels (at least some of them) do not come from 129 so I was hoping to get them at least SOMETHING so they don't disown me. I read a thread about a glorious new software update for one of the other receivers that causes the receiver to go to HD only when it senses an HDMI cable, so I had them pull the HDMI cable, tune to a modulated RF channel I set up from the audio/video outputs, and still no luck. Keep in mind, we tried just about every combination of reset and power cycling possible after each failed attempt.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get the SD channels to return so they have at least SOMETHING until the tech shows? Thank you so much for any advice.

 

[harshness]

Where the locals are is very easy to figure out given a zip code or DMA name. Without either of those, there's no telling.

They need to maintain a dialog with DISH so that if it comes down to it, your parents can get credits or other considerations.

It seems like the ESPNs are carrying most of the season's football and almost all of them are at the 119W slot (assuming your parents aren't Eastern Arc).

 

[jk870]

Thanks. They are in the Denver DMA.

 

[ScottChez]

The installer is required to check all locals on 129 before leaving so I am sure this was working.
This issue sounds like the the Cold Weather defect for the Switch (duo node). Is it out side or in a cold atic? I see Denver DMA, bet its cold there.
See this other thread.
Worth a try, they may just need to wrap the switch up to warm it up till they can get a replacement. If this fixes it please also report results in other thread. I think there needs to be a recall.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/299350-Cold-Weather-issue

 

[lucky86]

I would personally try running a checkswitch test and save the results. The channels that come off of the satellites they get signal from currently should populate in the guide and if there is missing signal from 129 then those channels should not appear because signal is not present.

 

[jk870]

Yes, everything was working when he left (temps in the 40s-50s). Things went downhill an hour or two later...when the sun went down and temperatures dipped below freezing. Now that I think about it, this could be a logical explanation. It has stayed below freezing since he left, and the switch is indeed outside with great exposure to the wind. I appreciate you guys pointing this out, I will see what we can do to warm it up.

 

[jk870]

Thanks guys, that was precisely the problem. Coordinated the clamping of a heat lamp onto the eve where the switch is installed, and within minutes, the problem cleared.